The self-help course 'Werk en Mantelzorg [Work plus Informal Caregiving]' of the Coronel Institute of Occupational Health (dep. Public & Occupational Health) is a free course for informal caregivers who find it difficult to combine informal caregiving with work and leisure. APH researcher Edwin Boezeman and colleagues developed this intervention, evaluated it for effectiveness and made it available. The intervention provides tools for fulfilling the role of informal caregiver and better integrating caregiving with work and one's social and personal life.

Motivation for the self-help course

Many working family caregivers suffer from stress symptoms and therefore have an increased risk of dropping out of work. Keeping family caregivers healthy is an important social concern, as their dropout affects not only themselves, but also the care receivers (patients) they support and Dutch society as a whole. This evidence-based intervention offers support to the many Dutch working family caregivers to reduce stress symptoms.

Practice and science

Boezeman explains that “To create impact, it is first essential to identify where there is a greater demand for help and where the available support falls short. Talking with target groups and organizations about perceived challenges and desired support offers valuable insights into these needs. This represents the practical aspect. From a scientific perspective, it is necessary to assess theoretical relevance, develop a research plan and consider internal requirements, such as funding. When these elements come together, this can hopefully lead to a scientific project aimed at creating real-world societal impact.”

Personal contact and enthusiasm for stakeholders

Various stakeholders, including several Municipal Caregiver Support Centers across the Netherlands, trade unions, health insurers, patient organizations, and the umbrella organization for caregivers, have an interest in the research project. Boezeman personally reached out to these organizations by phone and later visited them in person.

“Personal contact, making the effort to reach out to others and truly listen, conveying enthusiasm and showing that you are seriously committed, these are essential elements in engaging people. By making it clear that together we can and want to do something for the target group, you create an engaged and involved group of participating stakeholders.”
Edwin Boezeman

“I even traveled to remote areas for this, but for a good cause, it’s no effort at all. By being the person who actually takes the effort to go there and visit them to actually listen to what they have to say, deal with, and would like to have addressed, you build valuable relationships. This created a whole new group of (working) friends who contributed to both the start-up and implementation of the project.”

Persistence pays off

Many organizations were enthusiastic and willing to participate in this project. Their expressed support played a crucial part in obtaining funding. After several failed attempts at grant providers for project funding, funding came in part from the Gak Institute. “Persistence pays off!”

Impact of the self-help course

The intervention is now reaching working family caregivers, family care supporters and others such as advocacy organizations. The intervention is included in the support services of Municipal Support Centers for informal care and health insurer CZ offers interventionist as part of its HR aid package. The intervention has also been awarded the 'Well Substantiated' quality mark by the 'Social Support, Participation and Safety' committee of Movisie. In addition, last year the intervention received the acknowledgement of 'Best Practice Mental Health' from the Expert Group Public Health of the European Commission and as such the intervention is included in the EU Best Practices Portal.

Further development already is underway, expanding the intervention to support the 5.3 million working individuals in the Netherlands with a chronic health condition in balancing work and health. At the start of 2025, with financial support from the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, the research project for realizing this further development has started.

“Every now and then, informal caregivers reach out themselves for more information and receiving the intervention. That’s when you remember why you do it, to help people.”
Edwin Boezeman

Advice to create impact

Boezeman: “In my opinion, an intervention for impact creation needs a scientifically based working mechanism: What is the theory that the intervention will actually yield effectiveness? Additionally, I would recommend actively engaging with target groups and their organizations and starting the conversation about their perceived problems and desired possible solutions. This can provide new directions, insights and inspiration for projects that are both societally impactful and scientifically innovative.”

Do's

  • Gain knowledge of the (health) problems of target groups
  • Establishing and maintaining contacts with field organizations
  • Working with enthusiastic and nice people

Dont's

  • Keeping a one-sided focus
  • Forgetting that simpler and easier can also be better
  • Giving up when you think you have a very good idea

View the self-help course 'Werk en Mantelzorg' here (in Dutch)